Alexis Sanchez made the most of the international break to visit patients at a local hospital in his home town of Tocopilla.

Sanchez was given a few days off with the rest of the Arsenal squad and jumped on a plane to Chile's capital of Santiago.

Sanchez spent the first day with close friends in Santiago before flying 783 miles north to visit family members in Tocopilla where he grew up.

Sanchez and his partner, Chilean actress Mayte Rodriguez, surprised everyone by turning up at the city hospital to spend an afternoon visiting several wards, happily chatting and taking selfies with the bed stricken inpatients.

He uploaded several photos to his social media account, including a short video accompanied by James Blunt's smash hit You're Beautiful.

Sanchez poses for a selfie (Image: alexis_officia1/Twitter)

The Arsenal star greets a young fan (Image: alexis_officia1/Twitter)

The youngster expresses his delight (Image: alexis_officia1/Twitter)

He posted the video with the message: "Everything you do will leave a mark on others. Try to do everything with heart and the trail will be beautiful. Love to Tocopilla!"

Sanchez who signed for Arsenal in July 2014, looked set to leave the Emirates for Manchester City in the summer.

The two clubs agreed a fee but Sanchez stayed put, although this appears certain to be his last season with the club.

Sanchez's visit was an emotional one (Image: alexis_officia1/Twitter)

Sanchez made the visit to Chile (Image: alexis_officia1/Twitter)

During his time at the North London club he has won two FA Cups and the Community Shield.

He has represented his country 119 times following his international debut back in 2006, scoring 39 goals in the Chilean colours so far.